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(Not just any) cinnamon can help blood sugar

Variety may be the spice of life, but when battling blood sugar woes with cinnamon, it’s important to know which form of the spice is most potent. USDA scientist Richard Anderson, one of the researchers who discovered the power of cinnamon for blood sugar, discusses which forms are best, why and how to use them in the latest Health Quest podcast with Steve Lankford.

Based on his extensive research, Anderson believes Cinnulin PF, a proprietary, patented water-soluble extract of Cinnamomum Burmanii, is the best cinnamon for the job. The extraction process used to create it helps isolate key active and filter out potential toxins found in whole cinnamon (Yeah, toxins. It’s not all snickerdoodles and happy oatmeal. There can be some dangerous stuff in the spice.). It’s the only extract standardized for double linked Type-A Polymers, the ones shown in clinical research to have a host of health benefits.

Anderson’s been studying cinnamon for decades. In the podcast, he talks about how he and colleagues stumbled on the insulin-affecting power of the spice while testing for something else, using apple pie as part of the test subjects’ diet. The researchers noted beneficial blood sugar effects. Their first guess was that it was a result of the apple, says Anderson. Cinnamon was actually the last ingredient they looked at. But they found it to be most beneficial.

“We all want products that have been shown to be safe and effect,” writes Lankford in a blog post about the interview. “In this case, and in many cases, it is a very specific form of a nutrient that has been shown effective. However, there are many other forms of many nutrients and often these nutrients have not been shown to be either safe and/or effective. The trick is to know the difference.”